Quietism is Not Silent Illumination

By: Rebecca Li

Incorrect understanding of the practice of Silent Illumination can trap us in quietism. Master Dahui [Ta Hui] was particularly critical of what he called “perverted Silent Illumination,” which considers wordlessness or the absence of thought as the ultimate principle. He was referring to the tendency to associate “silence” with the lack of mental activities. This kind of silence is like the absence of ripples on a pond inside a vacuum. There is no moving air that touches the water surface, nor are there leaves falling or insects alighting on the pond. The pond is quiet. It is also lifeless.

In Silent Illumination, we are fully engaged in life. There is clarity of everything including thoughts and feelings in the present moment while our entrenched habit of reacting with vexations is not activated. This nonreactivity is the “silence” in Silent Illumination.

From: Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method

Don't Cling to Stillness

By: Ta-hui Tsung-kao (Dahui Zonggao)

From a letter to Layman K’ung Hui:

Once you have achieved perfect stillness of body and mind, you must make earnest effort. Do not immediately settle down in peaceful stillness—in the Teachings this is called “The Deep Pit of Liberation,” much to be feared. You must make yourself turn freely, like a gourd floating on the water, independent and free, not subject to restraints, entering purity and impurity without being obstructed or sinking down. Only then do you have a little familiarity with the school of the patchrobed monks. If you just manage to cradle the uncrying child in your arms, what’s the use?

From: Swampland Flowers: The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui, translated by J.C. Cleary. Ta Hui (1089-1163) is a central figure in the Rinzai (Chinese, Linji) school of Chan. He stressed koan practice and was a critic of Silent Illumination practice (or at least certain ways in which that practice was manifested). Despite his criticism of Silent Illumination, he had a close relationship with Hongzhi, the most prominent exponent of Silent Illumination.